The Demon Within
by Selenity Jade
Summary: [Chapter 1 Up] A postseason Trigun fic. Vash brings Knives to the small town he had left only days before. Will Vash be able to save Knives as he promised himself? Or will insanity claim him again and he'll revert back to his homicidal ways? Pairings: Mer
1. Prologue

**_The Demon Within  
_**_Prologue  
__By Selenity Jade (Jadesamaaol.com)_

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun, though I'd happily take Vash and Knives and Wolfwood and Legato.

Notes: This is my first Trigun fic, though not my first fic by far. (30 something DBZ fics, 6 Sailor Moon fics, an Inuyasha fic, a Record of Lodoss War fic, a Gundam 08th MS Team fic, a Buffy fic, and an Anita Blake/Buffy crossover fic to my name so far, I've very much writing still!) I am hopefully going to be able to get their personalities down, but I'm not perfect, so don't flip unless it's absolutely horribly OOC. This fic takes place right after the end of the Trigun anime, which I've seen in both dubbed and subbed formats, AND I'm currently reading the manga as it comes out in the US. It will not be a Vash/Knives fic (EW) or a Vash/Meryl fic. No, Wolfwood will not come back from the dead, and neither will Legato, despite my incredible love of them. This, my friends, is my first non-canon romance ever. It will be a Knives/Meryl fic. Yes, you heard right. I will not bash any character, so fans of this pairing shouldn't expect me to turn Vash into more of a noodle-noggin than he already is. And keep in mind, I did an RP with a bunch of Trigun characters for over three years, and I had Knives paired up with one of my original characters there. I have a hard time seeing him with anyone else, but this idea will not leave my brain. Enjoy!

* * *

"Vash! You're alright!"

"You're back!"

The blond man grinned at the relieved women in front of him. "Of course I am," he replied. "And I brought a guest, if that's alright."

Meryl Stryfe blinked, and took notice of the unconscious man over Vash's shoulder. "Is that...?"

He nodded. "Yup. This is Knives. My brother."

"Your brother?" Milly asked in surprise. "Wow, I didn't know you had a brother, Vash."  
  
The Humanoid Typhoon grinned sheepishly. "I didn't tell you? Yup, he's my twin brother."  
  
"Wow!" the tall girl exclaimed.

Meryl sighed. "Is this a good idea, Vash? After what you told me..."

And for the first time since he had met Meryl, he smiled at her. A very real smile. "It'll be just fine, Meryl."

She nodded, looking up at the spiky-haired man. "Alright. I'll trust you." Then she smiled warningly at him. "Just this once. But if he does something, you'll pay for it!"

Vash laughed. "Alright."

Meryl turned and started to walk to the house they rented. "Well, come on! Let's get him into bed and have those wounds looked after."

Meryl sighed softly, wringing out the bloody cloth in the sink for what had to be the millionth time. Vash really shot his twin full of lead. It was actually amazing that the man had survived so much damage and blood loss.

But if what Vash had told her was to be believed, it shouldn't have surprised her at all. Vash had told her about himself, about his time aboard the ship before humans crashed here... That meant that Vash and Knives had to be over a hundred and thirty years old.

They weren't human.

Vash didn't tell her what he was. Just that he was 'found' aboard the ship with Knives. She got the feeling that he was afraid to tell her. Afraid of what, she wasn't so sure. Maybe he was afraid of her reaction. Or maybe he just didn't trust her with that information. But no, that couldn't be it. He had told her about his past, and he had told her that he wasn't human. She had gotten the feeling that he hadn't told very many people about his past, his brother, himself... It made her feel... special to be one of the few let in to his confidence. Maybe... Maybe he did feel for her and trusted her.

Another part of her was scared to ask what it meant that he told her. She hadn't been told everything after all. She still didn't know what he was.

She wouldn't push him, though. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Until then...

She'd believe in him. What did it matter if he wasn't human? He cared for humans, he acted human... Hell, he was _better_ than most humans. He refused to kill, even when that person was so evil that killing them was the only way to stop them.

The one he called Legato was the only person he had ever killed.

Meryl turned back to the bed with a sigh, and knelt beside it. She gently cleaned the last of the blood from the oozing wound on his bare leg. A doctor had come in to take a look at the wounded man and removed each bullet that had been lodged in his flesh. However, the doctor was rather old and shaky, and Vash felt that having him stitch up Knives was a bad idea. The poor blond had had enough of a fit when the trembling doctor had started to dig into the wounds to retrieve the bullets. After the nerve-wracking ordeal, Vash had insisted that his brother would heal fine without stitching and that they would bandage and tape the wounds closed without the doctor's help.

Meryl wasn't sure. She had seen Vash's scars after all.

She gently cleaned the blood from his leg, and then wrapped a bandage around the bare thigh. She was thankful that Vash had been the one to undress Knives. She knew it was silly, but it made her blush just thinking of seeing a naked man. The strangely beautiful man was completely nude and the only thing to protect his – or rather her – modesty was a sheet draped over his groin.

She sighed as she leaned across the bed to grab the tape for the bandage, her hand holding the gauze to the inside of his thigh. She glanced up at the sleeping face of Vash the Stampede's brother, and gasped as she saw blue eyes glaring at her.

"Who the fuck said you could touch me, vermin?"

Meryl gasped in shock and fright. She had heard such horrible things about the man on the bed. And she knew without a doubt that the man Vash called brother would kill her with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. She could see it in his eyes.

"I see you're finally awake, Knives," Vash interrupted from behind her.

Meryl sighed softly in relief, and spoke to Knives. "Please don't move. I've just got to tape this last bandage and I'll be done."

"Better let her finish, Knives," Vash cautioned. "She gets rather bitchy if you don't let her have her way."

Meryl glared at the legendary outlaw. "Excuse me!?"

The blond man grinned at her before looking back at his brother. "Knives, this is Meryl, a friend of mine. She's been dressing your wounds after the doctor removed the bullets. Boy, you should be glad you were unconscious through that!" Vash exclaimed with a theatrical shudder. "It was so horrible!"

"I don't care. Get the human away from me!" the weakened Knives snarled angrily.

Meryl flinched slightly before glaring up at the prone man. "Oh, knock it off!" She reached over again and snatched the tape with her free hand, and deftly retrieved a good-sized piece.

Knives glared at her. "Who said you could talk to me, vermin? You are nothing but a parasite! You should bow before me like the disgusting beast you are!"  
  
"Knives," Vash spoke warningly.

Knives glared up at his brother as Meryl finished taping the wrap on this thigh. The angry twin's skin twitched beneath the woman's touch in revulsion. "Just because you defeated me, brother, doesn't mean I'll turn into the sentimental fool you are!"

Vash smiled softly, if a bit sadly. "I know that, Knives."

Meryl stood up, crossing her arms. "All done. Now don't go moving around too much!" she admonished the injured man with a shake of her finger. "I don't want to have to bandage all those gunshot wounds again. Do you hear me?"

Both Vash and Knives blinked in surprise at Meryl's strict orders. The two men knew she couldn't enforce it on Knives, and he was more than capable of killing her if she so much as looked at him the wrong way. And yet she did something no other human had ever done and survived.

Vash chuckled. "Hear that, Knives? Guess it is bed rest for you."

"Fuck that."

* * *

AN: Yes, that is the prologue. ; Shorter than my chapters of course, but you'll get more later. Tell me what you think! (Especially you, Rose!)

In the last episode of Trigun, Vash let go of Rem's memory. He let go of her in his heart, and decided to live for himself now. Before he did that, I don't think he could have loved Meryl like she wanted him to. I think that last part of the show was the most beautiful. He was free to love and free to live as he wanted to without being haunted by her now. He will always love Rem, of course. She shaped who he was. She was his mother, his big sister, his friend. (No, people, I don't believe he was IN love with her, come on! He was a child when she died, no matter how intelligent and mature he was). But his love for her and his grief over not fulfilling one of her last wishes ("Take care of Knives.") didn't let him be free enough to love Meryl. I think he had feelings for her, but it wasn't until the very end that he was willing to be with her, I think.

This has no bearing on my story, obviously, but it's just a random little twist of something from the anime I thought I'd share.

Lovies!


	2. Chapter One: Promises Made

**The Demon Within**  
By Selenity Jade

Chapter One: Promises Made  
Rating: M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Trigun, though I seriously adore most of the men in the series. Vash, Legato, Knives, Wolfwood... (sighs happily)

**Notes:** Here by popular demand!

**Last Chapter:** Vash returns with Knives, and Meryl bandages him up, causing a grumpy Knives to snap at her.

X 

Meryl blinked as silence fell over the room. She glanced between the twins curiously before sighing. They obviously wanted to speak without her there. "Well, I guess I'll get Knives-san some dinner. I only hope Milly doesn't start crying into the soup again."

She turned and opened the door, only to be stopped by Vash's voice.

"Milly's been crying?" the outlaw asked in concern.

Meryl glanced at Vash over her shoulder. "Only sometimes, when she thinks she'll be alone for a bit. She misses Nicholas."

He nodded in understanding. His emerald green eyes were dark with pain and grief. Milly wasn't the only one missing the priest.

Both of them ignored Knives annoyed snort from the bed. "I'll just get dinner now," she repeated, and left the room.

She wandered over to the small kitchen. She hesitated before poking her head inside, and spied Milly staring over the stew blankly, though she hadn't started to cry yet. Meryl sighed and walked up behind her friend. "Milly? Are you okay? Do you want me to finish-"

The taller girl shook her head rapidly – too rapidly – and began to stir the contents of the pot. "No, I'm fine, Meryl. It's just..."

"It's just what, Milly?"

The sandy-haired girl glanced down at her friend, her eyes bright with tears. "I think... I think I'm pregnant, Meryl."

"Oh, Milly..."

X 

Vash glanced from the door as it shut to stare at his twin. Green eyes met blue as they studied each other for the first time since the battle, and the first time without a fight hanging over them.

Finally, Vash spoke. "I don't want you to hurt Meryl."

Knives snorted again as he forced his pained body into a sitting position. "I will do what I please, even to that stupid human woman."

The spiky-haired blond sighed. "Don't kill her, alright? Don't shoot her, or push her, break her, or anything. You can be mean, if you wish, she's a strong girl, but if you hurt her, I'll have to shoot you again, and I don't want to do that."

The other twin merely glared at his brother. "I want humans to die, Vash. I want you to understand why they should die! I don't want to play 'nice' with some _human_ wench you care about."

Vash walked over to the bed and slumped down into the chair beside his, crossing his long legs underneath it. "Look, Knives," the infamous gunslinger started softly. "There are four of us in this house. Milly, Meryl, you, and me. Milly is still upset over Nicholas' death, so I won't ask her to help with your wounds. It would be just cruel to have her do that, even if she's more forgiving than even I am. Meryl, on the other hand, is a strong girl. I trust her to help you, because she trusts me when I tell her she won't be hurt. And she's feisty enough not to back off when needed. She's the only option I have to help heal your wounds, other than me, and I'm not very good with that kind of thing. I want you to give your word you will not hurt Meryl. She's important to me, Knives."

"Idiot, she's human!"

"I know that, Knives. I'm not blind. Human or not, she's still important to me. I want your word."

"If you'd just stick me in a-"

"If I did that, you'd be completely healed, of course. But I want you to learn some things. If there is scarring that you want to remove later, I'll even help you find one to use, but for now, I want you to heal the human way."

Knives glared at his brother angrily. "We aren't human! Why should we have to heal like humans? Do _they_ even know what you are?"

"Meryl knows I'm not human, but I didn't go into many details. She may guess eventually, but... it doesn't matter. I want to be human."

"I don't understand that inane wish! Why would you want to be vermin like that!"

Vash smiled sadly. "Right now, that's not what I wish you to understand. What I want from you is your word you will not hurt Meryl. I want you to give your word that you will not harm Meryl – who is taking time to help heal you – or Milly, who you probably won't see until you're able to walk around. Please, Knives. This is all I'm asking for right now."

Knives snorted, turning to glance out the window angrily. "What do I get out of it?"

"Do you want to make a deal then?"

"Call it whatever you wish."

"Alright, then." Vash paused thoughtfully. "How about you stay here, and I show you things. You tried to convince me of your course, and that didn't work. For over a century, you tried to change my mind to your way of thinking, and it didn't work. So while you heal, you stay here with me, Meryl, and Milly, and you listen to what I have to say and show you. And you promise not to hurt Meryl and Milly."

"And if you can't 'change' my mind?"

"Then I'll let you go. You can do whatever you wish, and I'll try to stop you like before."

"Time limit?"

Vash cocks his head thoughtfully. "One year."

"One measly year of being stuck in this godforsaken hell?"

"Picking up humanisms, Knives? Plants don't have gods."

The angry twin growled at his brother. "It was an expression. One I particularly like."

"See, you already like one thing about humans."

Knives rolled his eyes. "I like a human expression. I must be changed! Look at me now, I'm a human-loving freak!"

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere. Do we have a deal?"

"Let me get this straight. You want me to stay in this stupid village with you, two human females, and let you preach at me for a year?"

"Pretty much, with your word you won't hurt Meryl and Milly while you're here. Though it'd be wise not to hurt the other villagers while we're staying here, too. Just to keep everything safe and keep people from suspecting who I am, and what we are."

"Wonderful." Knives paused, crossing his arms over his chest with a wince. "Any hidden conditions to this agreement?"

Vash smiled slightly. "Not really."

"If I don't agree?"

"Then we'll still help you until you're healed, only I will always be in the room with Meryl in case you get an itch to kill her, and as soon as you try anything, I'll have to shoot you again."

"And you'll accept my word?" Knives asked, frowning suspiciously at his twin.

Vash smiled serenely. "You always keep your word, Knives. Always."

Knives blinked and smirked slightly. "Yes, I do. Though I haven't yet killed you, and I swore I would after I realized you refused to see things my way."

Vash sighed. "That was different. Now, please, Knives. Your word that Meryl and Milly are safe from you."

"I don't have to defend them, in this little agreement of yours, do I?"

Vash blinked. "I hadn't thought of that, but no, you don't need to defend them if someone should attack us. They can take care of themselves, and I'm good enough to protect them both if need be. Against normal humans, anyway."

Knives sighed. "Fine. For one year, I will let you try to 'convince' me, and I will not harm the human women who live in this house. Satisfactory?"

Vash nodded with a grin. "Thanks, Knives."

"Don't thank me, idiot. I just don't want to be shot until I've healed. You keep shooting me, and I keep healing, so let's just keep it that way."

The spiky blond man grinned wider. "Sure, Knives." He leaned back into the chair and stretched. "I miss being brothers, you know. Like we were on the ship."

Knives didn't respond except to look away from his twin brother and towards the small window for a long moment before he spoke again. "I just want to know what deluded you so much into believing in these parasites that you'd turn against your own brother." Knives glanced at Vash. "I want to know why you'd fight for them. Why you'd abandon me for them!"

Vash blinked in surprise. "Knives..."

The door opened, and a subdued Meryl came in with a tray for Knives. Both twins glanced at her, falling silent, but Meryl obviously didn't notice. Vash frowned at her obvious sadness. "What's wrong, Meryl?"

She shook her head. She walked over and gently put the tray over Knives' lap, smiling weakly at him. "Here, Knives-san. I'll come back for the tray and dishes later."

His brother snorted, but otherwise ignored Meryl, which she didn't seem to even notice. She turned to Vash, and wrung her hands in front of her anxiously. "Can I speak to you outside, Vash?"

The blond man cocked his head. "If it's about Knives-"

She shook her head. "No, it's not about your brother. But privacy would be best for this."

He nodded. "Alright," he agreed before he turned his gaze to his prone twin. "I'll leave you be for now. If you need anything just yell, and Meryl or I will be here, alright?"

"Just get out," Knives snapped angrily, having still not touched his dinner.

Vash ignored the venom in his voice, and simply smiled at his twin before gently steering Meryl from the room with a hand on her back. "What is it?" he asked after they had shut the door.

She looked up at the tall blond sadly. "Milly's pregnant."

He blinked before his eyes widened. "She's what?"

"You heard me. She's pregnant. With _his_ kid."

Vash stood there in shock, his mouth finally falling open. "She's going to have Wolfwood's baby!"

Meryl nodded. "Yes, though she's not sure yet. But from what she told me, I'm positive she's pregnant."

"Well, shit."

Meryl nodded again. "My thoughts exactly. I mean... I had thought they might have, you know, but... they did. And now, he's dead, and she survived, and she's pregnant, and alone. She's really scared, Vash."

The gentle man nodded, leaning against the door behind him with a sigh. "She's not alone, though. We'll be here."

Meryl gave a small, bitter laugh. "It's not the same, you know. She loves him, even now, and she cries sometimes when she thinks I can't see her. She cries when she thinks she's alone. She puts on a brave, cheerful face, and now it's just going to be worse. She doesn't want us to be there through this, even though it'll help. She wants him back, and she knows he's gone forever, so we're just very poor substitutes."

Vash exhaled in frustration. "Okay, I get that. But it's not like she'll be really alone. We'll help. I'll be Uncle Vash and you'll be Auntie Meryl, and Knives can be Uncle Knivesies. Though we'll spring that on him later."

Meryl's eyebrow rose in complete shock. "How about we don't spring it on him? Look, Vash, I know you're trying to look out for your brother because he's your brother, and you love him, and I'm helping him because you love him. But I seriously think letting that man be around an infant would be disastrous. What if it pukes on him? He'd probably break its neck."

Vash laughed. "You don't really know Knives, Meryl. He wouldn't let the baby close enough _to_ puke on him."

"True, but the point remains. Having him in the same house with a squalling baby would probably end up with someone dead."

"No, I'll just have to add the kid in on the agreement."

Meryl blinked. "What agreement?"

"He swore he'd stick around for a year and let me try to understand what I see in humans and while he is here, he wouldn't hurt you or Milly. Adding the baby into that will be nothing."

Meryl hesitated. "But don't say anything to him yet, okay? Let Milly come to grips with being pregnant first."

"He probably already knows."

Cocking her head, the blue-haired woman blinked. "Huh?"

"He can read minds, Meryl. He's probably curious as to why you wanted to talk to me, and read your mind before we left the room, or he's listening to our minds now. Either way, I'm betting he knows. He doesn't have any morals about reading human minds because he believes they're lesser than he is, so it's not immoral to do so. You'll understand when you talk with him more. Knives thinks he's doing the planet and our species a favor by eliminating humans. He thought he was _helping_ me by doing what he did to me. He has his own code of honor, and he never breaks his word. But he will read minds as easily as he talks, so there's no point in asking him not to."

"Great, let's just hope I don't think of anything damaging then."

Vash laughed, setting a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Knives is here now, and I want you to treat him like one of us, not like an enemy, okay? Do that for me?"

"Treat him as a friend, then? But..."

The blond gunman nodded. "Like a friend. Just like that. Like how you treat me, and Milly, and how you treated Wolfwood. Please?"

"But, Vash," she began again.

"Please, Meryl. I'm just asking you to try to befriend him, okay? He won't take friendship from me right now; our ways of thinking are too different. But I think he'll respond to you."

"Me!" she squeaked in surprise.

Vash merely nodded, his eyes serious. He was studying her carefully, concerned that befriending Knives would end up hurting her in the end, but knowing it was probably the best course of action. He had been more serious in the past hour than he had the entire time he had known Meryl and he hoped it impressed upon her the importance of his request. "Please, Meryl. Just be a friend to him. You're a strong girl and you won't take his threats too seriously, and most of all, I trust you. I don't want you to do it just because I asked; I want you to really _be_ his friend. He won't accept it at first of course, but eventually..."

"Vash, I think you're forgetting a few things. If he _is_ reading our minds, he'll know this is some sort of plan. Secondly, he respects humans like me even less than he respects you, so how could I possibly befriend him when you can't do the same? He's your brother!"

"He's not reading us now, he's eating, I checked. And yes he's my brother, but I'm 'weaker' to him, too gentle. You and he have similar temperaments, though yours is by far less violent. But the point remains, I just _know_ you can reach him. Teach him that humans aren't less than us. Okay? Just try? Be nice, take care of him, and don't let him bully you. That's it."

Meryl frowned. "You checked?"

Vash winked. "I'm telepathic too, you know. I just don't use it often." He leaned down and cupped her face in his large hands. "Just be his friend, Meryl. See him as even I can't see him anymore. Care for him like no one's done for him since we were children. Just try. I know you can do it, because I trust you. Show him understanding because I can't, and he needs it."

"Vash..."

He kissed her forehead softly, letting his mouth linger there. "Promise me you'll try?"

Meryl sighed, closing her eyes at the feel of his lips on her skin. "Yeah, I promise."

He pulled back to give her his trademark grin. "Thanks, Meryl. I'll speak with Milly now, if you want to check on Knives' bandages again."

She nodded. "Okay," she agreed finally.

He gave her a quick hug before leaving her there in the hall outside of his twin's room, staring at him in a mixture of awe and shock.

X 

**Next Chapter:** Death Threats

X 

**AN:** I hope everyone's happy with this chapter. I'm very tired and wrote it anyway.

Lovies!


End file.
